Schemas(and(young(children’s(learning( Cathy(Nutbrown( The(University(of(Sheffield(

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!!Schemas!and!young!children’s!learning!Cathy(Nutbrown(

School(of(Education,(The(University(of(Sheffield(

!Research!into!the!patterns!that!seem!to!underpin!young!children’s!learning!has!helped!many!early!years!practitioners!and!parents!to!understand!more!about!how!children!learn!and!what!they!need!to!help!them!further!develop!in!their!learning.!!!In!the!early!1980s!a!research!study1!identified!these!underpinning!patterns!or!‘schemas’!as!children!explored!many!indoor!and!outdoor!experiences.!Since!then!many!early!years!practitioners!have!usefully!developed!work!to!support!young!children’s!learning.!This!short!paper!sets!out!a!few!thoughts!about!schemas,!how!parents!and!practitioners!can!identify!them,!and!how!knowing!the!schemas!children!are!working!on!can!focus!what!adults!do!in!response.!!!!What%is%a%schema?%!From!birth!children!have!particular!patterns!of!behaviour!–!early!on!we!see!sucking!and!grasping!schemas!F!and!as!children!grow!these!schemas!increase!in!number!and!complexity.!Eventually,!simple!schemas!that!involve!vertical,!horizontal!and!circular!movements!become!integrated!and!coordinated.!!%

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!The!Froebel!Early!Childhood!Project.!See!Athey,!C.!(2007)!Extending(thought(in(young(children:(A(parentHteacher(partnership((2nd!Ed)!London:!Sage.!

Schemas(and(young(children’s(learning( Cathy(Nutbrown( The(University(of(Sheffield(

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How%can%you%spot%a%schema?%!Watching!children!play!and!explore!is!the!best!way!to!identify!the!schemas!that!may!be!forming!an!underpinning!pattern!in!their!learning.!For!example!if!children!seem!to!seek!out!toys!and!experiences!related!to!vertical!movement!they!may:!!

• use!the!climbing!frame,!!• draw!vertical!marks!!• build!tall!towers!with!bricks!!

• look!up!at!aeroplanes!and!birds!!

• jump!!• prefer!to!be!up!high!when!they!have!a!choice!!!

!!!!Sometimes!children!seem!absorbed!with!circular!movement.!They!may:!

• like!to!be!spun!round!and!round!on!a!roundabout!!

• enjoy!spinning!their!bodies!around!!

• be!fascinated!with!large!wheels!on!big!trucks!!

• seek!out!objects!that!are!circular!or!have!wheels!!!

• make!circular!marks!in!their!paintings!or!drawings!!

• enjoy!rolling!out!pastry!or!playdough!!!!%%%%

Schemas(and(young(children’s(learning( Cathy(Nutbrown( The(University(of(Sheffield(

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What%do%you%do%when%you%spot%a%child’s%schema?%!When!a!child’s!interest!in!vertical!movement!is!identified,!other!experiences!and!equipment!can!be!offered!such!as:!

• visiting!a!shopping!centre!and!using!the!escalator!and!glass!lifts!so!that!a!child!can!see!and!experience!the!movement!of!going!up!and!down,!!

• playing!with!toy!parachutes,!!• rolling!a!ball!down!a!slope!

!By!matching!the!learning!opportunities!they!are!given!(at!home!and!in!group!settings)!with!children’s!schemas,!parents!and!early!years!practitioners!have!a!greater!chance!of!sharing!a!child’s!interest!and!further!developing!their!learning!because!what!is!being!offered!is!more!likely!to!be!‘inFtune’!with!the!child’s!pattern!of!development2.!!!%How%many%schemas%are%there%and%do%all%children%work%through%all%of%them?%!The!original!project!identified!a!small!number!of!schemas!to!do!with!movement:!vertical!(going!up!and!down),!enclosure!(putting!things!inside!other!things),!circular!(going!round!and!round),!going!over!and!under,!going!through,!going!back!and!forth,!going!round!a!boundary.!!!!!Other!researchers!have!since!identified!other!patterns!that!have!dominated!children’s!play!such!as!‘connecting’.!!It’s!hard!to!say!if!all!children!work!their!way!through!all!of!these!schemas,!but!observations!have!shown!that!common!patterns!of!behaviour3,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!2!Atherton,!F.!and!Nutbrown,!C.!(2013)!Understanding(Schemas(and(Young(Children:(from(Birth(to(Three!London,!United!Kingdom:!Sage.!3!Nutbrown,!C!(2011)!Threads(of(Thinking:(Schemas(and(young(children’s(learning,(London:!Sage!!

Schemas(and(young(children’s(learning( Cathy(Nutbrown( The(University(of(Sheffield(

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related!to!movements!can!be!seen!in!many!children.!!Spotting!schemas!depends!on!adults!watching!carefully!for!patterns!in!children’s!preferences!that!emerge!as!they!play,!and!taking!note!of!the!marks!they!make!and!the!stories!they!enjoy.!!!%Why%is%it%helpful%to%know%about%schemas?%!Understanding!what!lies!behind!young!children’s!behaviours!is!useful!to!adults!who!live!and!work!with!them!because!sometimes!it!can!explain!why!children!do!the!things!they!do.!For!example:!some!children!might!spend!considerable!time!making!collections!of!objects!inside!a!bigger!container,!if!they!do!this!time!and!time!again,!it!might!offer!a!clue!to!other!things!that!they!might!enjoy!and!be!interested!in.!Many!children!seem!fascinated!at!some!point!in!their!development!by!putting!things!inside!other!things.!They!may:!

• collect!a!set!of!apparently!random!objects!into!a!handbag,!a!tin!or!a!box.!!

• like!to!hide!themselves!–!in!a!tent,!under!a!table,!under!their!duvet,!or!inside!the!playhouse.!!

• be!fascinated!with!the!homes!of!tiny!creatures!–!rabbit’s!burrows,!birds’!nests!and!so!on.!!!!

!When!adults!offer!children!new!experiences,!which!match!with!their!underpinning!schema,!they!can!extend!children’s!learning!and!thinking.!!!Knowing!that!a!child!is!interested!in!‘enclosing’!(putting!things!inside!things)!might!lead!an!adult!to!offer!objects!and!experiences!that!fit!with!this!interest,!such!as:!!

• playing!in!tents,!!• sorting!a!set!of!Russian!Dolls,!!

Schemas(and(young(children’s(learning( Cathy(Nutbrown( The(University(of(Sheffield(

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• making!food!that!has!something!inside!(such!as!pies,!sandwiches),!hiding!in!large!boxes!or!other!enclosures.!!!

!So,!knowing!which!particular!schemas!children!are!interested!in!helps!parents!at!home,!and!practitioners!in!early!years!settings!to!offer!them!experiences!–!at!home,!in!group!settings!and!on!trips!and!visits,!which!match!their!interests!and!are!more!likely!to!interest!and!capture!their!interest!and!attention.!!!Schemas%seem%to%be%about%moving%–%how%does%that%help%learning%and%development?%!Much!of!young!children’s!learning!is!physical,!it!involves!a!lot!of!moving!around!F!jumping,!twirling,!hiding,!skipping,!rolling!F!healthy,!happy!children!are!on!the!move!much!of!the!time.!And!this!movement!supports!the!development!of!their!minds!as!well!as!their!bodies.!One!thing!that!I!find!fascinating!is!the!way!in!which!several!schemas!(vertical,!enclosure,!going!over,!under!and!through)!involves!children!in!making!movements,!and!later!marks,!that!include!all!those!needed!to!write!conventionally!recognised!symbols!found!in!many!languages!around!the!world.!!!!When!spiders,!spokes!and!sunshine!appear!in!children’s!drawings,!they!have!most!of!the!marks!they!need!to!write!all!the!symbols!in!the!written!scripts!of!many!languages.!!So!the!early!development!of!schemas!through!children’s!physical!movement!provides!an!essential!underpinning!for!eventually!beginning!to!write.!!!Watching!children!as!they!play!is!the!best!way!to!begin!to!understand!the!schemas!that!underpin!their!learning,!and!to!plan!the!next!steps!in!learning!experiences!to!match!their!needs.!!